My Dad Fed His Mistress Sweet Cake While Mom and I Drank Toilet Water第1話

I am five when Mom catches Dad in bed with Aunt Claire.

She finds him in the same bed as Aunt Claire.

When Mom drags me out of the house, another car slams into us from behind.

When Mom wakes up, her mind is stuck at four.

Dad quits his job and stays home with her every day.

He holds her hand and promises her again and again, "Lily, I'll stay with you forever."

I believe him, until I see the ultrasound photo Aunt Claire sent to his phone.

Before the crash, Mom had a photo just like it. She said it was a surprise for Dad.

Then Claire sends another message: Ethan, I'm pregnant too. If you don't come stay with me, I'll take this baby and jump off the roof.

Dad looks at Mom sitting by the window.

"Lily, Ava, be good and stay inside," he says. "If you get hungry, eat the cake on the table."

The door clicks shut behind him.

He does not know this is the last time he will ever see the three of us alive.

At noon, Mom takes me to the kitchen to look for the cake.

She is wearing an old apron. I tied her hair into two crooked little pigtails.

"Ava," she says, "Dad said there's cake on the table."

"Yeah," I say. "Strawberry cake."

I stand on my toes and find there is nothing there. Only one dirty glass.

Mom stares at the empty table for a long time, like she has forgotten why we came into the kitchen.

I hold her hand.

"Mom, where's the cake?"

Mom blinks. Her voice gets small.

"Dad said there was cake."

"But there isn't."

"Then we'll wait for Dad."

She pulls me back to the window and picks up her paintbrush again.

She draws a crooked person on the paper.

"This is Dad."

Then she draws a little person.

"This is Ava."

Last, she draws an even smaller round head beside us.

"This is your baby sister."

I freeze.

"Mom, the baby is still in your belly. How can you draw her?"

Mom touches the small bump under her dress and smiles like a little kid.

"She'll come out."

Then she draws a line in each person's hand.

"We're holding hands," she says. "So nobody gets lost."

At 12 p.m., my stomach starts making noises.

Mom stands up at once.

"Ava is hungry?"

"Yeah."

"Dad said there's cake on the table."

It is the third time she says it, but now she sounds less sure.

We search the kitchen.

In the fridge, there is half a carton of milk, but the color is wrong.

In the cabinet, there are a few pieces of dried bread with white spots on the edges.

I grab the old phone Dad keeps at home and call him.

It rings for a long time.

No one answers.

I call again.

Still no answer.

On the third try, someone finally picks up.

It is Mom's foster sister, Aunt Claire.

"Ava, stop it," she says.

I hold the phone tight.

"Aunt Claire, where's Dad?"

"Your dad is busy."

"There's no cake on the table. He said he left cake for me and Mom."

Claire laughs.

"What are you two doing now? Ethan is busy. He doesn't have time for this."

"It's not a game," I say quickly. "There really isn't any cake."

"Enough. Don't call over something like this."

She hangs up.

Mom stands beside me and stares at my face.

"Dad said there was cake."

"But Dad won't pick up."

She slowly lowers her head and looks at her belly.

"Dad doesn't lie."

I do not argue.

Because I do not believe Dad would lie either.

But the table is empty.

At one in the afternoon, Mom's face starts to turn pale.

She grips the edge of the table and sinks down, one hand over her stomach.

"Ava," she whispers, "my tummy hurts."

I run over and hug her.

"Do we need to go to the hospital?"

She shakes her head.

"Dad said we can't run around. If we wait nicely, he'll come back soon."

I pick up the phone and call Dad again.

I stare at the dark screen.

For the first time, I think maybe Dad really doesn't want to answer us.